Alexander slaysman



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(No Model.)

A. SLAYSMAN. MECHANISM FOR FORMING AND SIZING SHEET METAL VESSELS.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A. SLAYSMAN. MECHANISM FOR FORMING AND SIZING SHEET METAL VESSELS. No. 401,597.

Patented Apr. 16, 1889.

uZZe-xae UNITED STATES PATENT EEncE.

ALEXANDER SLAYSMAN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR 'lO HIMSELF, AUGUSTUS E. CLARSON, AND JOHN OFERRALL, OF SAME PLACE.

MECHANISM FOR FORMING AND SIZING SHEET-METAL VESSELS.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 401,597, dated April 16, 1&89.

Application filed February 12, 1889- $erial No. 299,568. (No model.)

To wZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER SLAYSMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have in- 5 vented new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Forming and Sizing Sheet-Metal Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to the manuto facture of that type of sheet-metal cans com monly used in the market for containing various food-products, such as canned fruits, vegetables, meats, and'similar substances. In this class of containing-vessels it is important that a speedy, accurate, and inexpensive method of manufacture shall be provided, whereby can-bodies may be rapidly produced having uniform dimensions and true cylindrical outline or contour in order to secure a perfect outside fit at both ends of the can body, or, in other words, to impart an accurately uniform external diameter to said canbody at both ends thereof, to render the same perfectly uniform one with another and to se- 2 5 cure an exact fit of the top and bottom of each can without crimping or otherwise molding the ends, and without regard to variations in thickness or weight of the sheet metal employed in constructing the can-body.

0 It is the purpose of my invention also to provide simple means whereby the can-bodies may be applied successively to a series of rotatin g forms having sizing-dies which act upon one end of the body-blank, which dies, with 3 5 the body-blank on the formers, move into position for cooperation with a reciprocating sizing-die, by the action of which the body is instantaneously forced into the required cylin V drical shape and accurately sized, each rotating form being provided with an automatic clamp holding the longitudinal edges of the can-body in position to receive the solder, whereby the can-bodies may be rapidly and accurately produced in readiness to receive the tops and bottoms, the operation of the mechanism requiring the services of two persons only, one of whom may be a boy.

It is my purpose, finally, to provide a sizing apparatus wherein one element of the diehead shall be a compressible elastic spring operating in conjunction with a two-part outer or body-sizing die having adjustment as to dimension, whereby the dimensions of the can-body, measured upon its external face, shall be invariably the same, without regard to variations in thickness or weight of the sheet metal employed, the purpose being to give an exact outside fit to the flange or overlying edge of the can top or bottom to enable the same to be applied and to form a close perfectly-fitting joint without crimping or shaping the metal.

The invention consists in the several novel parts and combinations of parts, hereinafter fully set forth, and then definitely pointed out in the claims following this specification.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a central vertical section of a machine embodying my'invention. Fig. 2 is a detail longitudinal section of the reciprocat- 7o ing and one of the revolving sizing-dies. Fig.

3 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a detail front elevation of one of the sizing-dies, the bodyformer and guide-nut being removed. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the cleft compressible ring.

In the said drawings, the reference-numeral 1 designates any suitable horizontal support--such as a table or benchupon which is arranged a step-bearing, 2. lVithin this bearing is stepped the end of a vertical shaft or arbor, 3, which may also have support above, if necessary.

Projecting horizontally from the arbor 3 at equal intervals are arms l, connected by a circular rim or wheel, 4, said arms preferably being six in number, though I may use either more or less. Upon the outer ends of these arms are mounted vertical standards 5, from the outer faces of which project the several dies and formers herein after described.

Each of the revolving dies is composed of two substantially semicircular die-plates, 6, each one of which is provided with lugs or projections 7 to receive bolts 8, provided with collars 9, which lie upon one side of the lugs 011 the upper die-plate, while the bolt-heads engage the other surface of said lugs, whereby said die-plates may be adjusted by means of nuts toward and from each other.

1 Through a central opening, 12, in these semicircular die-plates passes loosely a bolt, 13, which is first inserted in an opening in the standard 5.

Upon their outer faces the die-plates 6 are each provided with a surrounding flange, 14, the inner face of which is slightly convex in cross-sectiom'as shown in Fig. 2, said flanges also increasing in thickness from their edges, which are flush with the peripheries of the die-plates to their base, thereby forming an inwardly-contracting cup-shaped recess or cavity, 15. laid an elastic spring, 16, of steel or other suitable metal, cleft at one point, and having its extremities slightly separated. This ring is turned down upon its periphery to present substantially the form shown in section in Fig. 2, its greatest diameter being at the angle between the flat face 17 of said ring and its peripheral face, which is beveled off inwardly from'this'point to form a convex surface, 18, the curvature of which is opposite to that of the flange 14. The dimensions of the .ring thus formed are such that when placed in the cavity or recess the ring must contract slightly in order to lie at the base of the flange 14 in the position shown in Fig. 2, the ring having contact with the base of the outwardly-expanding inner face of the flanges 14.

The numeral 19 denotes aguide-nut having circular form and shaped to resemble the frustum of a cone. Upon the base of this frustum is formed a boss or circular projection, 20, of such diameter that it will be within the cleft ring 16 without contact therewith, the diameter ofthe frustum 19 at its base being such'that it projects over the edge of the ring, its cone-shaped surface forming practically a continuation of the similarly-expanding peripheral face of the ring. The nut is provided with a central aperture, 21, having a female thread which receives the threaded end of-the bolt 13, which is turned up far enough to draw the boss 20 against the flat face of the cavity 15 and force the rear faces of the die-plates against the standards 5, whereby they are firmly held thereon at the proper point. The thickness of the'boss 20 is such as to hold the guide-nut just out of contact with the cleft ring in order that the latter may contract and expand without friction therewith. I may use a separate washer in'place of'the boss or projection 20, if preferred.

Within this cavity or space is this upper and longer portion is centrally formed or mounted a longitudinal strip, 25, the projecting rearward end whereof lies in a notch in the conical face of the guide-nut and receives a screw, 26, by which it is secured thereto. The back of the strip is brought into the circular plane of the base of the inner face of the flange 14,'and a notch or recess, 27, is cut in said flange upon the top of the upper die-plate, 6, the bottom of said notch being in the same horizontal line with the back of the strip.

Upon the upper end of the standard 5 is pivotally mounted a lever, 28, having a clamp, 29, which is arranged directly over and in line with the strip 25 upon the body-former. This clamp is of some weight and is provided with a straight edge, 30,having a1ength suitable to engage the meeting edges of the canbody as they lie upon the strip 25.-

At a suitable point upon the support 1 is mounted a metallic bracket-frame having a horizontal portion, 31, which is firmly bolted to the support. Rising from the part 3 l is an angular portion, 32, having at its upper end a sleeve, 33, in which is inserted a mandrel, 34, upon the end of which adjacent to the table is mounted a reciprocating sizingdie composed of two semicircular die-plates,

and 36, substantially similar to those already described, and connected by bolts 37 in a similar manner, to render them adjustable relatively to one another. Within the cavity or recess formed by the marginal flanges of these die-plates is mounted a cleft ring, 38, and a guide-nut, 39, both having the construction already shown and-described in connection with the sizing-dies carried by the revolving support. In the top of-the marginal flange of the upper die-plate, 35, is out a notch or recess, 35 which, like the notch'27 in the die-plate 6, is as deep as the inner face of the flange.

Engaging with the mandrel 34 is a lever, 40, fulcrumed within the upright bracket 32 at the point 43, said leverbeing carried from its fulcrum downward, and thence curved and carried beneath the support 1, where it is attached to the end of a foot-lever, 44, fulcrumed upon a bracket, 45, upon the floor, the attachment being effected by a connecting-rod, 46. The lever 40 is thrown back to normal position by a powerful spring, 47, attached thereto and to the foot-lever 44, as shown.

Pivoted upon lugs 48, depending "fromthe horizontal frame 31, is a lever, 49, having its lower end connected by a link, 50, to the vertical portion of the lever 40. Mounted in brackets 51 upon the upper face of the horizontal frame 31 is a sliding stop-bar, 52, the outer end of which is connected to the lever 49 in any suitable manneras, for example, by means of a notch in the bar engaging a tooth on the end of the lever. Between the brackets 51 a spring, 53, is coiled upon the stop-bar, one end thereof resting against a collar, 54, on said bar, whereby the contraction of the latter will compress the spring. The forward or inner end of the stop-bar engages the outer end of each horizontal arm 4 or rim 4 which is provided with two lips, 55, between which the stop-bar enters when in normal position. The location of this stopbar is such that as the revolving arms 4 are successively brought into engagement therewith the body-former and the revolving sizing-die, on which it is mounted, are brought into accurate position relatively. to the sizingdie mounted on the mandrel 34, and are firmly held during the operation of the machine.

Arranged within the arbor 3, which has a central longitudinal opening for that purpose, is a rod, 56, the lower end of which is connected to the end of a lever, 57, pivoted upon a floor-bracket, 58, and operated by a foot-lever, 59. Upon the upper end of the rod 56 is mounted a horizontal lug, 60, which overhangs the inner end of that one of the levers 28 which is diametrically opposite the sizing-die on the mandrel 34 upon the opposite side of the arbor 3. By operating the foot-lever 59 the lug is drawn downward, striking the end of the lever 28 and raising the clamp 29 off the body-former. As the foot-leveris released, the lug 60 and rod 56 are raised by a spring coiled on the rod and confined between a collar on the latter and a plate through which the rod passes.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Two operators-one of whom may be a boy are placed at the opposite sides of the table 1 in convenient position to actuate the foot levers or treadles 44 and 59. WVithin reach of the person actuating the lever 59 are placed the sheet-metal blanks from which the bodies of the cans are to be formed, said blanks all cut to uniform size and rolled or otherwise formed into approximate cylindrical shape. Depressing the lever 59, and thereby raising the clamp 29, the operator slips one of these blanks upon the body-former 22, bringing its longitudinal edges upon the strip 25 beneath the clamp and forcing the end of the blank partly into the die-plates 6 over the nut 19. The lever 59 is then released, dropping the clamp 29 upon the meeting edges of the canbody, and at the same time the other operator depresses the foot-lever 44 and retracts the stop-bar 52, releasing the revolving support and permitting the arbor 3 to turn. As the next succeeding body-former is brought into position, the operation is repeated and .carried on continuously. As the body-former with the blank in place swings into position opposite the sizing-die upon the mandrel 34, the operator upon that side of the table holds down the foot-lever 44, thereby retracting both the stop-bar 52 and the sizing-die carried by said mandrel. As the circular movement of the arbor 3 is completed, the foot resting on the treadle 44 is lifted, permitting the stopbar to engage the lips 55 on the end of the arm 4, or on the circular rim 4, while at the same time the mandrel 34 is thrown inward, bringing the two-part sizing-die 35 36 into engagement with the outer end of the blank on the body-former 22. The tension of the spring 47 is such as to force both ends of the sheetmetal blank into the sizing-dies upon thestandard 5 and upon the mandrel 34,driving the sheet metal between the compressible rings and the outer flanges of the sizing-dies, and thereby producing exactly the same outside diameter at both ends. In this position the forward projecting end, 25, of the raised strip 25 enters a recess or notch, 39, in the top of the guide-nut, this construction being substantially similar to that in the sizing-die carried by the revolving support. By this operation the longitudinal edges of the can-body are brought into accurate relative position, and, being held in close contact by the clamp 29, the operator rapidly applies the solder, uniting said edges. The moment this operation is completed the foot-lever 44 is again depressed, retracting the mandrel 34 and its sizing-die, as well as the stop-bar 52, whereupon the arbor 3 is again revolved far enough to enable the operation to be repeated upon the blank carried by the next succeeding body-former. As the soldered can-body remains on its body-former until the latter comes opposite the person stationed at the foot-lever 59, and as the clamp 29 rests continuously upon the united edges until it is raised by the depression of said foot-lever, ample time is allowed for the solder to cool and harden. As the operator actuates the lever 59 and raises the clamp 28, he withdraws the formed and soldered can-body from the body-former and replaces it with a blank, this operation being completed while the person upon the other side is applying the solder to the body-seam. In this manner the forming or sizing and soldering of the can-bodies are carried on with great speed and perfect accuracy. In order to vary the force with which the reciprocating sizing-die is thrown into engagement, the end of the lever 40 is provided with a series of apertures, 40, to any one of which the end of the spring 47 may be connected, thereby increasing or decreasing the acting distance of the lever 40 and varying the power of said lever proportionately.

By this invention I am not only able to produce completely formed sheet metal canbodies with rapidity, but these bodies, when formed and soldered, will always present exactly the same external measurement at both ends, thereby giving a perfect outside fit within the edge or flange of the can top or bottom. This fit, moreover, will always be the same without regard to any differences in weight or thickness of the sheet metal forming the body, these differences being exactly compensated by the yield of the compressible cleft rings 16 and 38. The necessity of crimping, bending, or otherwise molding the end edges of the can-bodies to enable them to be ICC IIO

inserted within the overlapping circular edges or flanges of the can bottom or top is thus wholly avoided, a more perfect joint and a much better appearing seam are produced, the quantity of solder required is diminished, and the labor and time employed in the manufacture are materially reduced.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination of a rotating support having a standard carrying. a bolt, a guidenut fixed on the bolt, a sectional expansible die mounted on the bolt and having a cupshaped recess containing the guide-nut, a canbody former rigidly secured to the guide-nut in the recess of the die, a lengthwise-movable mandrel arranged on a stationary support, a sectional expansible sizing-die mounted on the mandrel and having a cup-shaped recess, a guide-nut located in the recess of the sizingdie and fixed to the mandrel, a pivoted vibrating lever connected with the mandrel, and a treadle connected with the vibrating lever to move the mandrel and retract the sizing-die and its inclosed guide-nut from the end of the can carried by the body-former, substantially as described.

2. 'The combination of a revolving support having a series of standards, a tubular arbor carrying the support, a bolt projecting from each'standard, a sectional expansible die arranged on each bolt and having a cup-shaped recess, a guide-nut located in the recess of each die and mounted on a bolt, a cylindrical body-former rigidly secured to each nut in the recesses of the expansible dies, a lever pivoted on each standard and having a clamp at one end, a vertically-movable rod extending through the tubular arbor and having a lug at its upper end to act successively 011 the other ends of the clamp-carrying levers, a treadle connected with the rod for depressing it, a mandrel having a guide-nut, a sectional cxpansible sizing-die having a cup-shaped recess containing the guide-nut on the mandrel, a pivoted vibrating lever connected with the mandrel, and a treadle connected with the Vibrating lever for moving the mandrel and retracting the sizing-die and its guide-nut from the end of the can carried by the bodyformer, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for sizing the bodies of sheet-metal cans, the combination, with a rotating support provided at intervals with standards, of a sizing-die mounted on each of said standards, a body-former projecting radially from the outer face of each sizing-die, a clamp carried by a lever pivoted on each standard and adapted to descend upon the top of the body-former to hold the meeting edges of the can-body, a reciprocating sizingdie co-operating successively with the revolving sizing-dies, a reciprocating lug lifting the clamp-lever successively and operated by a foot-lever upon one side of the table carrying the support, a foot-lever upon the opposite side of said table operating the lever which retracts the reciprocating sizing-die, a stopbar retracted by a device connected to the latter lever, and a spring connecting said lever and its'foot-lever and throwing the reciprocating sizing-die into engagement, substantially as described.

4. In a machine for sizing the bodies of sheet-metal cans, the combination, with a sizing-die having a marginal sizing-flange, of a cleft ring arranged within said flange, a guidenut having the form of a frustum of a cone, the base of which overlies said ring and is provided with a boss or projection lying within but not in contact with said ring, and a bolt lying loosely in a cavity in the die and tapped into said guide-nut, substantially as described.

5. In a machine for sizing the bodies of sheetmetal cans, the combination, with a sizing-die having a marginal flange, of a cleft compressible ring lying within said flange and having a peripheral face which expands constantly toward the flat face of the die at the foot of the outwardly-flaring inner face of the marginal flange, a guide-nut having a boss lying within but out of contact with said ring and provided with a frustum-shaped portion partly overlying the peripheral face of said ring, the expanding face of said nut forming a guide to the expanding face of the ring, and a bolt passing through the die from the rear and entering the guide-nut, substantially as described.

6. In a machine for sizing the bodies of sheet-metal cans, the combination,with a sizing-die consisting of two similar adjustable semicircular parts each having a -marginal flange and provided with lugs connected by bolts and nuts, of a cleft compressible ring lying within said flanges, a guide-nut having the shape of the frustum of a cone,-the expanding face of which forms a guide to the peripheral face of the ring, and means for holding said nut in position, substantially as described.

7. In a machine for sizing the bodies of sheet-metal cans, the combination, with a circular sizing-die having a marginal flange, of

a cleft compressible ring lying within said flange, a guide-nut having the shape of afrustum of a cone, its expanding face forming a guide to the expanding face of the ring, and a body-former composed of a cylindrical shell having its flat end mounted upon the flat outer face of the guide-nut, substantially as described.

8. In a machine for sizing the bodies of sheet-metal cans, the combination, with a circular sizing-die having a marginal flange projecting at right angles to the flat face of said die and having an interior contracting surface, of a cleft compressiblering having an expanding peripheral face lying within said flange and having contact with the basethereof, a guide-nut having the form of the frustum of a cone, the expanding face partly overlying the peripheral face of the ring, a body-former consisting of a cylindrical shell,

its end mounted on the fiat face of the guidenut, the top of said shell provided With a raised strip lying in the plane of the bottom of a notch cut in the flange of the die as deep as the inner face of said flange at its base, and a clamp mounted on a lever pivoted on a support above said die, said clamp having a straight edge adapted to engage the surface of said strip, substantially as described.

9. In a machine for sizing and forming the bodies of sheet-metal cans, the combination, with a circular sizing-die formed in two adj ustable parts an d having a cleft compressible ring lying Within the contracting surface of said die, said ring having an expanding peripheral face engaging said surface, a guidenut having an expanding face which partly overlies said ring, a body-former mounted on said nut and provided with a raised strip on its top, the projecting end thereof lying in a notch in the guide-nut, a rotating support carrying said parts, a clamp havingastraight edge resting upon said strip, a lever carrying the clamp, a reciprocating sizing-die carried by a mandrel and having a cleft ring and guiding-nut, a stop-bar holding the revolving support, a lever retracting the mandrel and stop-bar, a lever upon the opposite side of the revolving support raising the clamp, and a spring throwing the reciprocating sizing-die into engagement, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ALEXANDER SLAYSMAN. Witnesses:

MURRAY HANSON, JAMES E. CARR, Jr. 

